Designating in-state agent - Shaker Heights, Ohio

[Heather Dale]

Hello, 

I am a new out-of-state investor in Cleveland, OH for a couple duplexes to get my feet wet. For the Shaker Heights area it looks like you need to designate an in-state agent, per Ohio law. So I would need to find a local person in Cuyahoga County to be an additional contact for my tenants. For anyone who invest in this area do you have tips on how to go about getting this contact for an out-of-state property manager and would this be a nominal fee if they are called upon or any additional information on this? I was hoping to property manage from afar to really learn the market and place good tenants into the rentals but with this regulation it feels like they are strongly encouraging you to hire a property management firm. I do not have many contacts in the area but plan to spend more time in the area later this summer but would love any advice on this topic of having an in-state agent when registering your property to the county as I have not seen this in other markets.

Thanks for any guidance on this!

Heather